A few weeks ago, on August 3, 2025, there was a newsflash which bordered on food safety issued by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). The regulator cautioned the general public, through a media release, to stay away from Tasty Tom  Enriched Tomato Mix “with immediate effect".

The order was in response to safety violations at Nutrifoods Ghana Limited, producers of the tomato mix product. The release further announced a market recall of all canned Tasty Tom Enriched Tomato Mix and some specific batches of the product in pouches (380g and 1.05 kg).

The recall was made allegedly after consumer complaints and the FDA’s investigation of the company’s manufacturing plant, which “established infractions on standards and quality”. It further stated that “maintenance of critical manufacturing equipment were poor and monitoring systems were inadequate to protect public health and safety”.

FDA release

The FDA’s release on that day attracted 204 likes, 43 comments and 102 shares in one media, while the social media handles of Graphic online, busy and active on the issue, yielded 373 likes for the FDA action, 64 comments and 26 shares.

Though the FDA took its share of the blame on social media, citing oversight negligence, Nutrifoods Ghana got blasted for their consistently poor standards, not only in the tomato mix but in some of its other consumer products on the market.

In nearly a decade of employment with a multinational fast food consumer giant with global brands, I learnt and understood the importance of food safety and security in the production chain, including the route to market, for the sake of the consumer. In effect, the company not only had an image to protect as a manufacturing concern but also one with responsible concern for consumer health and safety, the reason for their continued presence on market shelves and in homes.

So, to see a regulator come in as strongly as the FDA did on August 3 on Tasty Tom Tomato Mix gave cause for worry.

Supermarket presence

Merely weeks after the FDA recall of the tomato product, I have this week visited two supermarkets to check the status of the product on store shelves and also gauge consumer selection. My visit to both stores confused me a bit because the product was on display.  It left me in bewilderment as to whether the FDA had reversed its decision of three weeks ago without letting consumers know.

Alone with my thoughts, I recalled a comment someone made a while back in my presence at a meeting with some journalists. He was of the view that journalists do not do well to demand accountability and follow up on public interest issues they report on.  In effect, there is no cross-checking or feedback on issues they report on and which have greater public interest.

My conscience has been pricked by this comment with the FDA sanction, and indeed, a few other issues.  My reason?

This year, on March 29, I wrote an article in this column concerning a tomato paste research finding conducted by some food scientists from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in February 2025. The research was to assess the quality of eight sampled tomato concentrates on the Ghanaian market.

Unfortunately, the research findings nailed down two of the tested tomato brands because they had traces of banned substances in them. The two “culprits” were never named, and the media did not push enough to name and shame, so consumers could stay away from patronage. To date, the guilty products remain unknown.

For the reason of following up on issues of public interest, I have decided to question whether Tasty Tom Tomato Enriched Mix has formally been cleared to be on shop shelves, seeing their bold, attractive displays and presence on supermarket shelves, as  I discovered this week.

On my visit to the shops, I discovered 2kg canned Tasty Tom Enriched tomato mix as well as the 1.05 kg and 380g pouches prominently on display alongside others. The displayed production dates on the products were July 2025 with expiry dates of July 2027 and January 2027, respectively.

Can the FDA come again and let the consumer know if the tomato mix that they criticised fiercely as short of safety violations and consequently suspended production “with immediate effect”, formally back on shelves? 

Can they let the consumer know if the product they declared recalls for are now fit for purpose?  Is the consumer safe to use the product?

The regulator should kindly declare which way now for the consumer.

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The writer can be contacted via email at; vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com